Contractors worked around the clock over the weekend to reopen a section of I-95 – closed following a fuel-tanker crash destroyed an overpass bridge – ahead of schedule, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Check out Time-Lapse Video: Emergency Repair of I-95 in Conn. in 60 Seconds
The initial plan was to reopen the highway Monday morning before rush hour, but due to a quick response, the section between Exits 14 and 15 in Norwalk reopened Sunday morning by 10 a.m., according to Governor Ned Lamont.
The “Connecticut Department of Transportation and its contractors got the highway fully reopened in less than 80 hours,” Lamont’s office reported.
The lanes on I-95 reopened by about 9 a.m. May 5 after the damaged overpass bridge was demolished and the roadway cleaned, milled, repaved and restriped.CTDOT (Earthcam)
The emergency reopening project involved removing tons of concrete, steel and debris from the roadway; sweeping the road; milling; paving; and restriping pavement markings.
“It is truly amazing that in less than 80 hours from that fiery crash Thursday that shut down traffic in both directions, the highway again is fully open,” Lamont said.
CTDOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said attention now turns to replacing the Fairfield Avenue Bridge. He said the department’s engineers worked through the weekend to developed preliminary plans for a new bridge. He expected the initial design to be completed within two weeks.
“This has been a team effort, and I can’t thank enough the CTDOT crews, contractors and workers who spent the weekend ensuring the public could resume traveling on I-95 as soon as possible,” Eucalitto said.
